St Kilda East psychologist banned after having sex with client
A vulnerable single mum and child abuse survivor was told by a St Kilda East psychologist she had “the body of a porn star” before he had sex with her during private sessions. His actions have been slammed at a tribunal.
Inner South
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A St Kilda East psychologist who gave his client massages and had sex with her during after-hours counselling sessions has been banned from practising.
Gregory Asher told the woman she had “the body of a porn star” and was “too much temptation” before having sex with her at his private clinic above his home, VCAT heard.
Mr Asher started seeing the woman at a group practice in Carnegie before moving her sessions to a private clinic above his St Kilda East home so he could “spend more time (helping) her”.
Most appointments were scheduled after 5pm with some starting as late as 10pm.
During the sessions Mr Asher regularly gave the woman massages, asking her to undress.
The woman told the tribunal Mr Asher was fixated on her sex life and probed her about her relationships with men.
The client was a vulnerable single mother with financial woes with a history of child sex abuse.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found Mr Asher guilty of engaging in sex and inappropriate behaviour with a client, failing to comply with professional boundaries and failing to maintain proper treatment records between August and December 2012.
The tribunal found the woman had been a credible witness and that Mr Asher had “created the perfect environment for the conduct to occur”.
He denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any criminal offences.
Mr Asher’s practising licence was suspended in July and this month the tribunal cancelled his registration with the Psychology Board of Australia and disqualified him from applying to be re-registered for at least five years.
Tribunal deputy president Heather Lambrick and members Gwenneth Crawford and Marian Power said Mr Asher’s conduct had been “an abuse of the trust placed in him” by his client.
“During the course of what was supposed to be a therapeutic relationship, (Mr Asher) exploited her,” they said.
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“Engaging in an intimate or sexual relationship with the patient is one of the most serious violations of professional boundaries which can occur.
“We are not confident at this stage that we could positively conclude that Mr Asher will not engage in like conduct in the future (and) we are not confident that he is a fit and proper person to practice as a psychologist.”
Several character references tended to the tribunal expressed disbelief Mr Asher had been found guilty of such conduct.
The tribunal heard he has been shunned by some of his former colleagues as a result.
“We accept that Mr Asher is hardworking and has suffered a significant personal impact because of the allegations and subsequent findings,” the tribunal said.
“The circumstances of this case allow for no other option than the cancellation of Mr Asher’s registration as a psychologist.”